


Where the bright waters flow.

by Dani



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Character Death In Dream, Closure, Dreams, Endings, Loss, M/M, Reconciliation, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:31:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8865859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dani/pseuds/Dani
Summary: Laurent dreams of Auguste.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [betweenthebliss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/betweenthebliss/gifts).



> The prompt request for this story was -  
> Literally my only gripe with these books is how abrupt the ending is. I want 3 more books about Damen and Laurent's road to ruling and everything they have to go through before they can relax-- because I can't imagine everything is smooth sailing after Kastor and the Regent's deaths, or even once they're crowned and trying to negotiate peace between two countries whose citizens violently hate each other. There are so many questions about what the future holds, and I'd love a story that answers some of them. But I'd be just as happy with fluff as plot-- they deserve it, dammit-- or any combination of the two.
> 
> I also felt there was a lot missing at the end on Kings Rising, and I hope that some of those questions get addressed in the upcoming short story. I hope you enjoy this little story set at the end of Kings Rising that deals with a topic that I don't think will be addressed in canon but maybe should be. Happy Yule!
> 
> The title come from the song "I dream of Jeanie".

            Laurent knew that it was a dream as soon as he blinked his eyes open and found himself standing in the baths of the palace in Ios, the white marble was jarringly bright against his pupils and the air felt almost cloudlike against his cheeks.  When Laurent had closed his eyes, he’d been at the summer palace balancing on a chair beside Damen’s bed, while he slept away the worst of his pain.   

            Just to test the theory though, Laurent hopped into the air and felt himself float for a long moment before allowing himself to return to the ground. Yes, this was definitely a dream.

            Curious, Laurent allowed his gaze to pass across the empty space, the sounds of his steps echoing in the vastness.  He stopped suddenly, starring at the pristine marble.  This was where he had found Damen, the image of him was burned onto Laurent’s minds eye.  Within a moment, Damen was there, just as he had been.  It broke Laurent’s heart to see him in so much pain.

            Laurent knelt, playing his role, but half heartedly.  He already knew how this ended, why was he back here?  “You have a knife wound.  You have to staunch the blood until I can call for a physician.  Press here.  Like this” He found himself saying, following his script to perfection and laying Damen’s hand on the wound. 

            This time, Laurent brought Damen’s right hand to his mouth and laid a soft kiss on his knuckles before letting the chain clasp around the cuff.

            The _snick_ of the lock was so painfully familiar, as was the uncomprehending look on Damen’s face.  A look about to turn devastated. 

            “He won’t kill you, but I will” Laurent said, standing to face the other man. 

            “No!”  Damen screamed, throwing himself forward and ripping at the cuff when he couldn’t move any closer.  “Laurent, he’s my brother!!”  Damen’s panic was just as breathtakingly painful the second time around, despite knowing it was coming. 

            Malice dripped off Kastor as he prowled toward Laurent.   

            Laurent felt a frisson of fear creep up his spine, his mind going to the last time he faced Damen in the practice ring.  He could lose this fight, he could lose and Damen would die.  Suddenly, this felt all too real. 

            “I’m going to kill your lover” Kastor said to Damen, though he kept his eyes locked on Laurent.  “And then I’m going to kill you”

            Kastor brought up his sword and attacked. 

            Laurent parried and jumped back.  More blows were passed between them and Laurent found himself saying the thought that had plagued him since the fight began, the one that had plagued him the first time.  “He’s better than me”

             “So, fight harder” It was the answer his mind had provided in the moment, but now it was a voice beside him. 

              Time stopped around him, Kastor was frozen mid-strike, as Laurent stared into eyes so similar to his own.  “Auguste” He breathed, letting his sword fall as he turned to stare at his brother. 

            “Hello Little brother” Auguste smiled fondly. 

            Laurent felt his heart stop as his gaze shifted from his brother to his lover, laying as a statue on the floor.  “I’m sorry” He said in a rush, feeling like a child again. 

            Auguste ignored the apology, studying Kastor “Why are you letting him win?” 

            Blinking, Laurent took a moment to reframe the conversation.  This was not where he feared a conversation with Auguste was going to go, though maybe he should have expected it. 

            “He’s better than me.”  Laurent answered warily.

            “Why is he better?”  Auguste circled Kastor, as though observing some kind of strange creature in a zoo. 

            Laurent answered without a thought.  “He’s stronger than me”

            That surprised a laugh out of Auguste.  “Everyone you’ve ever fought in your entire life has been stronger than you.”

            Without warning, time started again although Laurent found himself standing next to his brother, as an observer rather than a participant. 

            “You fight well.”  Auguste complimented with more than a hint of pride colouring his words. 

            “He fights better” Laurent muttered, finally voicing some of the self-doubt that always plagued his thoughts.

            Tilting his head to one side, Auguste watched the fight with a bit more consideration.  “He fights like Damen” Auguste conceded, nodding at a particular move that Damen always seemed to favour.

            “Yeah, and Damen beat me” Here with his brother, Laurent couldn’t help but feel like a petulant child.

            Nodding in agreement, Auguste continued to watch the fight.  After another moment, Auguste countered.  “Damen’s smarter though.  He knows Veretian fighting, he knows you…Kastor doesn’t.  The closest he came to our techniques was watching me fight his brother in Marlas.”

            Finally turning to face his brother, Auguste’s lips were in the affectionate smile that Laurent could never forget.  “So, Little brother” Auguste laughed “fight smarter” and then pushed Laurent back towards the fight. 

            Laurent blocked the next blow and knew with perfect clarity what he had to do. 

            Without a thought, Laurent fell instinctively into the sequence of parries that Auguste had used at Marlas.  The same sequence of parries that Laurent had spent years obsessively practicing and studying in an impossible quest to find a way for Auguste to have lived.  It was only when he’d found it that he realized how useless the whole thing had been and he’d never used them again.  Nonetheless, the moves were still second nature and Laurent fell into the rhythm like no time had passed at all.  Then, his blade cut too far to the left. 

            As Kastor fell into the trap and Laurent drove his sword home, Laurent didn’t feel victorious.  He didn’t feel proud or angry, he just felt nothing as he watched Kastor fall to the ground. 

            Time slowed as Laurent stared at Kastor’s prone body.  It was an image he hadn’t allowed himself the first time around because he’d been in such a hurry to reach Damen.  This time, he knew Damen was safe in bed at this very moment so he allowed himself to look. 

            “This isn’t right” He said when Auguste came to stand beside him.  Though, Laurent wasn’t sure what he was referring to, whether the killing, the body, or the emotions he was feeling. 

            Auguste shrugged, standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother.  “It’s not the vengeance you were looking for, no.”

            “It’s not justice for you either.”  Laurent swallowed around the lump in his throat.  “Kastor didn’t kill you, Damen did” It felt like a physical blow to acknowledge that fact aloud, here with Auguste. 

             Sliding an arm around Laurent’s shoulder, Auguste pulled him into a hug.  “It was a good fight, a great fight.”  Auguste whispered into Laurent’s hair.  “It was the best fight of my life, Laurent.  I never needed justice for that.”

            This time, when Laurent felt the tears begin to form in his eyes, he let them fall.  For the first time in years, Laurent allowed himself to sob into his brother’s shoulder. 

            Endless moments later, Laurent pulled back and turned this attention back to Kastor.

            “So, if this isn’t vengeance or justice, what is it?” Laurent asked, trying to put a word to the emptiness he felt in his chest.

            Holding onto Laurent’s shoulders, Auguste stared at his brother for a beat before answering.  “Closure” He said sadly.  “It’s an ending, if you think you can accept it”

            “It’s not the ending I wanted” Laurent whispered, a secret only meant for his brother.

            Auguste nodded, knowing all the things Laurent couldn’t bring himself to say.  “Still…it is a happy one, and that’s all I ever wanted for you”

            The tears began to fall again as Laurent realized that Auguste was saying goodbye, it was too soon. 

            “Go to him, brother.”  Auguste looked passed Laurent to where Damen was still lying on the floor.  “Go to him and be happy.”  Without another word, Auguste pulled Laurent forward and kissed him before pushing him backwards.

            With a hard thud, Laurent fell onto the floor.  The chair back was digging into his spine with bruising intensity.  Shocked, Laurent quickly scrambled to his feet, looking desperately around for Auguste, Kastor, and Damen but only finding one of the three. 

             Damen was still lying on the bed, exactly where Laurent had left him -  though he seemed to be laughing hysterically at Laurent’s state of distress. 

            Laurent scowled at the laughter but stopped short when he heard a whisp across his mind.  _‘Just for the record, I do like him.’_  

            Rolling his eyes, Laurent carefully climbed into bed next to Damen.  _‘I knew you would’_ He thought back before resting his head against Damen’s shoulder and letting his eyes drift shut again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my friend Nikki, who beta'd this without actually finishing the series and exposed herself to spoilers in the name of friendship.


End file.
